ClawTutor / Built on
🙏 Open source & third-party projects

Standing on the
shoulders of giants.

ClawTutor doesn't do any of this alone. It wires together a handful of remarkable open source projects and services. Here's every project that makes it tick — and a thank-you to each of them.

Core framework
OpenClaw Core · Required

The engine that runs everything. OpenClaw is an AI agent gateway for Raspberry Pi that connects large language models to messaging channels. ClawTutor is built entirely on top of it — the tutor agents, workspace files, credit logic, and channel routing all live inside OpenClaw workspaces. Without OpenClaw, ClawTutor doesn't exist.

🌐 openclaw.ai ⭐ GitHub
Anthropic Claude AI · Required

The brain behind every tutor. The tutor agents run on Claude — Claude Opus 4.5 as the main orchestrator and Claude Sonnet 4 for the per-child tutors. Claude's ability to follow complex instructions, adapt tone to a child's age, and stay patiently on-topic is what makes ClawTutor actually work as a tutor rather than just a chatbot.

🌐 anthropic.com 🔑 API Console 💶 Pricing
Infrastructure
Raspberry Pi Hardware · Recommended

The self-hosted heart of the setup. A Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 is the recommended host for ClawTutor. It runs 24/7 on a few watts, costs ~€60–80, and can be wiped and reflashed in minutes if something goes wrong. Keeping ClawTutor on a dedicated Pi isolates it from your main devices and limits the blast radius of any misconfiguration.

🌐 raspberrypi.com
Pi-hole Infrastructure · Optional

The device control layer. Pi-hole is a network-wide DNS sinkhole that blocks ads and trackers at the DNS level. ClawTutor uses Pi-hole's REST API to block or unblock specific devices by MAC address based on earned screen time credits. Any device with its DNS pointed at Pi-hole can be controlled — TV boxes, phones, consoles, laptops, anything on the home network.

🌐 pi-hole.net ⭐ GitHub
SQLite Data · Required

Where the credits live. Screen time credits are stored in a local SQLite database — no cloud, no account, no external service. The database file sits on the Pi and is managed by a small Python script included with ClawTutor.

🌐 sqlite.org
Home Assistant Optional

Power control beyond DNS. Pi-hole controls internet access — but it can't stop offline games or local play. Home Assistant bridges that gap. ClawTutor can call the HA REST API to cut power to smart plugs, toggle switches, or trigger automations. Combined with Pi-hole, it leaves no workaround: no internet and no power when credits run out. Works with Shelly, TP-Link Kasa, IKEA Trådfri, Philips Hue, and hundreds more devices.

🌐 home-assistant.io ⭐ GitHub
Messaging channels

ClawTutor works through whichever messaging app your family already uses. Channel support is provided by OpenClaw's gateway. You need one — the rest are optional.

WhatsApp Channel

Most popular family messaging app. Requires a dedicated phone number. A pay-per-use SIM works fine — you only need it to register the number with WhatsApp, not for active data or calls. Kids message the tutor exactly like messaging a friend — no new app, no login.

🌐 whatsapp.com
Telegram Channel

Free bot API, no SIM required. Supports rich Markdown formatting so tutors can send nicely structured quizzes. A great choice if your family already uses Telegram or you'd rather not manage a second SIM card.

🌐 telegram.org 🤖 Bot API
Signal Channel

The privacy-first choice. End-to-end encrypted by default. Requires a dedicated phone number. Ideal for families who are security-conscious or prefer to keep all messaging in one encrypted app.

🌐 signal.org
Discord Channel

Great for older kids who are already on Discord. Free bot, no phone number needed, rich formatting. Tutors can live in a private server channel. Can double as a family server if you already have one set up.

🌐 discord.com 🤖 Developer Portal
Runtime & tools
Node.js Runtime · Required

OpenClaw runs on Node.js. The ClawTutor CLI wizard is also a Node.js script — zero external dependencies, just a single file you can inspect before running.

🌐 nodejs.org
Python Runtime · Required

The screen time credit database is managed by a small Python script (screentime-db.py). Python 3 comes pre-installed on Raspberry Pi OS — no setup needed.

🌐 python.org
GitHub & GitHub Pages Hosting

ClawTutor's source code is hosted on GitHub. This website is served by GitHub Pages — free, no server required. The /docs folder in the repo maps directly to clawtutor.ai.

⭐ ClawTutor on GitHub 🌐 GitHub Pages
Audio & Hardware

Optional components for voice announcements, music tutoring, and audio feedback.

Bluetooth Audio (PipeWire) Audio · Optional

Voice announcements via Bluetooth speaker. Connect a Bluetooth speaker to the Pi and ClawTutor can announce quiz reminders, screen time warnings, and more. Uses PipeWire (or PulseAudio) with BlueZ for audio routing. Any Bluetooth speaker works.

🌐 pipewire.org 📦 Addon
Text-to-Speech (TTS) Audio · Optional

Give your tutors a voice. ClawTutor supports multiple TTS providers: Google TTS (free, good quality), OpenAI TTS (paid, great quality), or ElevenLabs (paid, realistic voices). Used for voice announcements and dictation exercises.

🌐 Google TTS 🌐 OpenAI TTS 🌐 ElevenLabs
MQTT (Mosquitto) Protocol · Optional

Real-time hardware communication. MQTT is a lightweight publish-subscribe protocol used by the MIDI interface addon. A second Pi reads MIDI keyboard input and publishes notes to an MQTT broker; the tutor agent subscribes and provides feedback. Also useful for IoT integrations.

🌐 mosquitto.org 📦 MIDI Addon
MIDI Keyboard Hardware · Optional

Music tutoring with Melody. Connect any USB MIDI keyboard (like a Korg Monologue) to a second Raspberry Pi. Notes are captured in real-time and sent to Melody, the music tutor, who provides feedback on scales, chords, and exercises via WhatsApp.

📦 MIDI Addon 📝 Blog post

Thank you to everyone who built these.

ClawTutor is a thin layer of glue on top of remarkable work by others. If ClawTutor is useful to your family, consider starring or contributing to the projects above.

⭐ Star ClawTutor on GitHub ← Back to overview